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Orlando Magic Daily Facebook Live: Free agency has begun

By Philip Rossman-Reich

ORLANDO, FL - DECEMBER 6: Aaron Gordon #00, Nikola Vucevic #9, and Evan Fournier #10 of the Orlando Magic look on during game against the Atlanta Hawks on December 6, 2017 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - DECEMBER 6: Aaron Gordon #00, Nikola Vucevic #9, and Evan Fournier #10 of the Orlando Magic look on during game against the Atlanta Hawks on December 6, 2017 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Free agency has started. I hosted an Orlando Magic Daily Facebook Live to break down the signings and take your questions.

Free agency started with a bang Sunday morning as several players quickly agreed to new deals around the league.

Paul George stayed with the Oklahoma City Thunder in a somewhat surprising move. Chris Paul re-upped with the Houston Rockets. Will Barton and Nikola Jokic agreed to new deals with the Denver Nuggets. Trevor Ariza jumped from the team with the best record to the team with the worst record in the Phoenix Suns.

All the while, everyone still waits to figure out where LeBron James will end up — he is in Los Angeles but apparently had a phone meeting with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Kawhi Leonard trade saga continues. And there are still a lot of players looking for new homes and new deals.

The Orlando Magic stayed largely quiet on the first night of free agency. That was expected. The team is virtually over the cap with Aaron Gordon‘s restricted free agency eating up most of their cap room. They only have the $8.6 million mid-level exception to spend or split among future players.

That will make things tough to find quality players to add to free agency. Already on Sunday, Fred VanVleet agreed to a two-year, $18-million to stay with the Toronto Raptors. Many fans had targeted VanVleet as a potential option to fill that starter’s role for a while. It turned out he was likely outside the Magic’s price range to begin with.

For now, the focus for the team is wholly on fishing for a point guard on the trade market and dealing with Aaron Gordon’s free agency it seems. It may yet be a while before the Magic make any movement this offseason.

In fact, some reports out there suggest the Magic have yet to meet with Gordon at this early stage. That will surely come as already much of the restricted free agent market is drying up and Gordon may have to deal directly with the Magic or take the qualifying offer and try for unrestricted free agency in 2019.

That does not seem to be anything either the Magic or Gordon want. Both parties seem to want to get something done. At some point they will.

For now, at this early stage, there is a lot to digest and a lot to get through. As the clock hit midnight, I hosted another edition of the Orlando Magic Daily Facebook Live to answer your questions about free agency and the Magic offseason and where the team goes next:

On This Episode:

  • What the Orlando Magic can accomplish in the trade market and the sacrifice they might have to make
  • The Orlando Magic’s early courtship of Aaron Gordon and his restricted free agency
  • How the early free agent market is developing for players at the mid-level exception
  • What the Orlando Magic’s trade market for Nikola Vucevic looks like
  • Analyzing the Kemba Walker rumor with the Orlando Magic
  • What kind of players are getting the mid-level exception in the early free agent market?
  • Why is there no rush to get an Aaron Gordon deal done on July 1?
  • Why it is important to offer Aaron Gordon a fair contract off the bat

Next: Orlando Magic free agency to-do list

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